Currently Watching
Romance in the House: 🏠❤️ This is a chaotic family-melo, as promised! The Mom-daughter duo is the best, Minho is quite charming, and I really like the intensity of the FL who feels responsible for her family (#OldestChildProblems). How bad is dad, really? Is he just immature, or is he actually sinister?

Love Next Door: 🙍‍♀️🙍‍♂️ Samdalri, is that you? Lol jk. Mom's anger is a jarring note, but I like the rest of FL's family (Jo Han-chul!!!) and friends. Jung So-min isn't my fave, but she's fun in this role. The FL is very competent, but the way she relates to others is very immature - as if the pressure she's been under has made her revert back to childhood now that she's safely home. I liked her best when she was letting us see her real emotions. The ML has obviously loved her since forever, and I'm really looking forward to how their dynamic is going to change. I loved how he recreated her old bedroom, and I also LOVE the flashbacks with the child actors. My friend is live watching with me and thought the first ep was really cute and loved the second one!

Finished
Hwayugi: This is a campy, dark fairytale with bite. Lee Seung-gi and Cha Seung-won are the stars and make this drama work as the feels-so-good-to-be-bad Son Oh-gong and Ma-won (*but they're really not that bad*), chewing up the scenery with gleeful abandon. This didn't really get going for me until the halfway mark. Like I've found with other Hong Sisters dramas, this was about four episodes too long, and each episode was about 20 minutes too long. They seem to be adept at creating tension, but less good at sustaining it. But their fantasy setups are always fascinating and enthralling, and they do creepy so, so well. I love Lee Seung-gi, but he hard-carried that romance on his own, and I've got to say, the real OTP for me was Pal-gye and Bu-ja. Lee Se-young was a charismatic scene stealer as a zombie trying to find her identity. Overall, a fun watch!

Serendipity's Embrace: sweet but soon to be forgotten; this reminded me of Our Beloved Summer lite. Kim So-hyun did well playing the same character she always does in her rom-coms, and Chae Jong-hyeop was a more boring/stoic version of his usual charismatic-sunshine self - until his smile returned like sunshine from behind clouds...

ONGOING
Good Partner - Loved how Eun-kyung handled the woman from Yu-ri's past. Also appreciate her putting in (belated) effort with Jae-hee.

Romance in the House - Ep. 3 was painful with the shrill, intrusive neighbours. Ep. 4 with the father-daughter focus was much more interesting.

Your Honor - Love how quickly things unravelled and where we ended the week. Can't wait for the Chairman to find out the whole truth. P.S. I hate the Judge's son SO much.

Perfect Family - The parents are deliciously creepy esp. Kim Byung-chul with his overt niceness. At this point, I feel like assigning every crime in the show to them, including the orphanage fire…

STARTED
Black Out - Liked it. Have my 'suspect everyone' glasses ready for this 🧐.

Mom's Friend's Son - Really liked this too. Jung So-min is made for roles like these. I think both of them liked each other already. Remains to be seen how quickly we get to that. The child actors were adorable.

WATCHLIST
Planning to try out No Gain, No Love (is that the final English title?). Looking forward to Shin Min-a in a rom-com again.

C-DRAMAS
Have had no time for c-dramas so I'm still stuck at Hidden Charm/Are You the One Ep. 3 and now might have Go East and Chang Le Qu on my list as well.

I did watch the special episode of You Are My Secret though and it was cute.

Live Watches
Mom’s Friend’s Son/Love Next Door: Off to a great start and I’m loving the easy bickering between our leads. Hopefully we get to focus a little more on our ML this week - I’d love to know about his problems as much as the FL’s. Possibly controversial statement: I was not a fan of his brown suit but don’t mind his hair at all.

Recent Dramas:
Welcome to Samdalri: (finished!) What a sweet drama! One of my absolute favorite parts was when the reporters were threatening to derail Sam-dal’s exhibition and all the haenyeos and other villagers packed into her living room to eat Korean pears and make elaborate plans about how they were going to keep them occupied so the show could go on anyway. It was such a beautiful full-circle moment. I do wish that we had gotten to see more of Yeong-pil’s dad being great back in the day. It seemed like everyone else had these amazing memories of him that helped them hold on during his 20 year tantrum, but it was harder for me to see why that relationship was worth it without a little more help. When Sam-dal was talking to him about how much he used to adore her, I felt the lack very acutely. But still, I really loved this one, and if MFS/LND joins the ranks of this and Doctor Slump this year, I’ll be happy.

Older Dramas:
Happiness: (4 episodes in) Obsessed. I knew I would be, so I held off for the community watch, but it looks like (through no conscious decision) I’ve opted to watch as fast as I (and my partner) want and just take good notes for later. I’ll see you on Thursday for the next installment, Beanies, and I’m happy to tag anyone new who hasn’t joined yet!

LOVE NEXT DOOR (Ep 1-2) I started this show with the expectations that Jung So Min would capture her past charms in rom-coms. But the start felt very stale in set-up and execution. Jung Hae-In looked like it was his first audition tape; stiff and not very engaged. The overused story line of rebellious and quirky daughter and corporal punishment mom played out without any depth. The bright spot in episode 1 was 2FL Kim Ji Eun, as Jung So Min’s best friend. But the real stars of the first hour were the children playing the leads.

Episode 2 focused in on the childish behavior of Seok Ryu towards Seung-Hyo with flashbacks to their childhood. In the mudflats of tropes, LND landed knee deep in the childhood friend to lover story line with a heavy dose of “what you see is not necessarily the truth” (as in Seok Ryu’s real reasons for returning home or Seung-Hyo’s apparent successful business start teetering on failure.) The premiere week ends with the realization of the cliche “you always hurt the one you love.”

Good Partner (7-8): Sa-ra is despicable, Ji-sang is pathetic, and Jae-hee has been the victim of these two's affair for way longer than anybody even imagined. I love how strong she is, much like her mother, but no kid should have to go through what she's going through.

Perfect Family (3-4): Everything these parents say and do gives me the creeps. Also, Hyun-woo better not die or turn out to be evil, because I'll never forgive him.

Love Next Door (1-2): Funny how the leads living next to each other was a surprise to me when it's literally in the title, so now I feel stupid.

Twenty-Five Twenty-One (13-16): Honestly, the leads not ending up together makes perfect sense, and I think the story was always laid out this way. But aside from that, everyone got a happy ending. A nitpick is I wish that we saw more of Hee-do's present day life, but that wasn't the point (okay, I just wanted to know if everyone was still friends, especially Hee-do & Yu-rim, but I believe they are, which the story supports). I find it interesting how the two most important relationships in Hee-do's life were put to the ultimate test in episode 15, and only one of them made it. Ultimately, the 9/11 plot was just the straw that broke the camel's back. If it wasn't that, it was gonna be something else. Hee-do's & Yi-jin's friendship might've weathered that storm, but I just don't think their romance was strong enough. At that point in their lives, I think it was doomed to fail. Hee-do's & Yu-rim's bond however basically weathered every storm, and I think it was the strongest bond in the show (and my favorite). Seriously, these two absolutely broke me in the last 3 episodes, and their reunion in episode 15 is my favorite moment in the entire show. I stand by my point that I wish this show wasn't so romance focused, as I just don't think that was the show's strongest point. Heck, I'd even argue that while the romance was a huge focus, it wasn't the main plot, rather the Hee-do & Yu-rim relationship felt more like a main plot to me (though I might be biased). Present day stuff aside, that was both the beginning & ending of the show. It was their time, after all...

Bossam: Steal the Fate (13-20): This was great, but not without flaws. The biggest one probably being Dae-yeob's death in the finale, because that was blatantly stupid, and excecuted horribly. I can understand him not wanting to kill lefty, but then to just drop his sword and turn his back on him? I know he might be delusional, but come on, he's not that stupid. At least the leads are happy, though I was hoping to see Ba-woo's family at the end, but I guess they're alive and well too?

Come and Hug Me (25-26): Daddy escapes jail and son sees it as an opportunity to move in with Jae-yi. Do-jin, you sneaky bastard.

Unicorn Episode 11 - Thought to stretch it out one per week so I have some sweet jelly to balance the heavy dramas.

Mom's Friend's Son - It was a blast. I loved it. I don't think Seok-ryu has told her mom the full story behind her return, but I'm glad that she has at least cooled down.
The competition between the mom's...top notch. Seok-ryu omma really won the round with the wedding invitation.
Seung-hyo though... He's a catch. But, I do worry about his homefront. It seems to be a different ballgame from Seok-ryu's.

Good Partner - The firing was sad but satisfying at the same time.

Sa-ra though. Sabotaging Ji-sang's chances at custody and thinking he'll not react was reaching😂.
Skipping through episode 8, Jae-hee has my sympathy. I wish both parents are more honest. I can't believe she gave her father opportunities to open up to her but he failed to. That girl is too mature for her age.

Just one thing though, I'm not comfortable with the absence/non-existence/offscreen parenting of Ji-sang in these moments. I feel like it is skewing the narration, especially when it is explicitly established that he's been the primary care all this while.

Is Woo-jin nephew or son to CEO Oh? I thought he was the son, but somehow the workers and recaps says he is the nephew. And now, he called Oh “abooji”.

DNA Lover - I hated that the intro was a dream sequence. Bring back that female lead. I'm hoping this gets better. I struggled through 1, episode 2 made me want to stay for another week.
The case of the pregnant woman though, it kinda gave me insight into the other argument. I am always on side of Yeon-woo's argument. I am not changing my side though. It only made me more understanding as to why some make such a choice irregardless of the danger.

In need more Jung Yoo-jin. She wowed me with her performance in Remarriage and Desires that I wished she was the FL there. I feel like the script didn't give her so much to do in the premiere though.

Your Honor - My best show at the moment. It was intense.

I think Kang-seok was responsible for the death of Pan-ho's wife. And that trauma from Woo One in dealing with that incident was what caused his choices the moment he learnt whose son his son hit. I don't think Kang-heon knows about the history Pan-ho has with his family though. I look forward to how that reveal affects the whole situation. And, why do I feel Evilive will repeat itself here to an extent?

Good Partner: Man oh man, what an episode. I was sobbing by the end of this case. That poor man and his son. I hope that woman stays ashamed. SMh

Romance in the House: So maybe, just maybe the man will start showing love to his daughter. Sir, this is the key to her mother’s heart. I am also liking the cute little romance between Mi Rae and Tae Pyeong. The slow realization that maybe we can be cute together. I am rooting for them.

Black Out: I can’t wait to see what little droppings they have for us next. Who killed those girls, it looks like we may have body parts too. Also, who shoved Geum Hee. I’m still thinking Na Kyeom did it, but there are a lot of suspicious people in this show, so it could be anyone.

Love Next Door: I look forward to their incessant bickering lol. I also look forward to finding out when Seung Hyo fell in love with Seok Ryu. Excited for this.

All my shows are weekend shows, hmm lol. Maybe Mon-Thurs will be coming soon.

ARE YOU THE ONE/HIDDEN CHARM (6) —Intelligent is the word to describe this drama. Intelligent acting, writing, directing and humor. If you are not watching it yet, go watch it.

I haven’t fallen so hard for a couple since our whale couple (EAW). Even though they are “fake” and one half of the couple is up to their necks in lies you can feel the growing sincerity underneath and see their potential as a powerhouse team.

NIRVANA IN FIRE 2 (5) —I am only a few episodes in and I already feel sentimental about Tingshen’s family and the legacy of the NIF crew. I hope I can survive through the betrayal I know is building.

LOVE”S REBELLION (6)— So much fun! And to see Zhang Linghe as a pure-hearted hero after Story of Kunning Palace—that is a trip. Darren Chen as the morally gray trickster fox spirit is the surprise of the show for me, but I love the heroine too (Jing Tian plays strong willed intelligent heroines well)

DASHING YOUTH (22)—I am invested in some storylines and not others. The hardest part is knowing where these youth end up by the time the events of BLOOD OF YOUTH occur. Zhang Chen Xiao has stollen the show as the young Master Li, syncing with his older counterpart and still making the role his own. He was in I AM NOBODY and I would have never known; it seems he might be a new generation of chameleon actors.

OTHERWISE

LOVE NEXT DOOR is my treat for surviving the week. I CANNOT wait to dive in. I am pinning my hopes on this one as I haven’t clicked with a Kdrama in recent months and I miss them.

Black Out (Episode 1-2) - Mood: C
It’s Byun Yo Han! I’ve not seen him in a drama for so long and am very pleased to report that he’s great. Of course you can’t go wrong with Kim Mi Kyung as the mom, tho sadly it’s a short cameo. As for the story, I’m mixed: it’s too obvious that prototypical neurodivergent character knows the truth while his dad is less innocently involved, but there’s the potential that Go Joon’s character can induce a major upheaval in the village dynamics. I’m hoping for some twist!

Love Next Door (Episode 1-2) - Mood: C-
This show will never be more than mediocre if it employs some of the most underwhelming setups with the cheating fiancé, or the estranged parents, or the gossipy neighbourhood, or the not-actually-a-childhood-connection-but-actually-one arc we’re getting with the main OTP. Sure, the actors are great and I think they’re selling it well, but the story is just so generic.

Perfect Family (Episode 1-4) - Mood: C- / C-
The FL’s parents seem way too obvious to be the arsonists, but the uncle’s warning coupled with the FL’s past bully getting eliminated just hammers that in. Speaking of hammers, I doubt Soo Yeon’s dead because she has unfinished business but I would like that tease in the preview to be real because we’re getting to the halfway mark and the drama’s about mom/dad.

Romance in the House (Episode 3-4) - Mood: D+
Now there’s an additional thing to worry about with the father’s past with the neighbour? I don’t know how I feel about that mystery being dragged out because it’s useless for the plot. The daughter’s romance does feel so forced but it is what it is.

Good Partner (Episode 6-7) - Mood: D+
Great for SBS that ratings are through the roof despite a three week break for the Olympics, but as far as I’m concerned, it does seem like we have moved onto the next makjang arc with pregnancy. I did enjoy seeing the secretary get ultra trolled.

Bad Memory Eraser (Episode 5-6) - Mood: D
Things are developing in a really cliche manner with both leads moving into the cohabitation stage while the inevitable love obstacles continue chugging along. Of course, there’s a stalker who threatens to blow truth: a classic plot device of cringe.

DNA Lover (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D
I’m going to treat this show as a challenge to finish because I do really like Lee Tae Hwan and this is his comeback project after finishing his military service, but wow, that was bad: haphazard characterisation and disorganised narratives.

Love Andante (Episode 5-6) - Mood: D-
I mean, we already knew those videos were going to get leaked but I do laugh that it was an oopsie of all things. But I think the worse thing is the entirely realistic and random intrusion and extrication of the ML’s manager. What on earth was that?!

Live watches

Tumbleweed ALL week then everything all at once Friday -Sunday, WAE?

Love next door
💛This is my kind of drama and I am hopeful it will remain consistent as we see the character and story development over the next few episodes.

DNA lover
🤣Despite the silliness, if it can keep the balance right this will be another Gaus electronics for me.

Tiger with wings - Japanese
Still loving this show, it really is an interesting mix of well rounded characters and historical events🥰

Umi no Hajimari - Japanese
This is such a lovely thoughtful drama exploring what makes a family🥰

At risk of being dropped because they are not quite good enough to pad out a barren week.

Romance in the house
The dad and daughter talking about the ex wife/mum as if she is not capable of making her own choices was frustrating. I am looking forward to seeing what they do this week to progress the love story element as that is what will keep me watching.

Bad memory eraser
I will see if this week’s reveal leads to changes in the main lead’s personality that will make an interesting shift in the dynamics with his family and the female leads.

My name is Gabriel
Who knows if I will get to see the rest of this series as we are two episodes behind now. Looks like it has quite a few actors in it so Wookie may not appear for a while yet.

Binge watch corner

Unmet: Aru Nogekai no Nikki - Japanese
A medical drama based on a manga written by a neurosurgeon. Reminded me of the team dynamics in Dr Storks with really interesting patient stories.

When I was the most beautiful
I decided to finish this one off even though in these early episodes there are a few character types that wind me up. There are enough elements of the story that I want to see how they develop and conclude. I have a bad feeling though that this will have an impact like Uncontrollably fond which was my first experience of a Melodrama and left me scarred.

Book corner
My Spotify audiobook hours have finally refreshed so I can finish listening to Beautiful country: a memoir of an undocumented childhood by Qian Julie Wang 🥳

My Mom's Friend's Son
I feel like the show sometimes tries too much and I wish it relaxed a bit, because it is more the smaller moments which make me want to stay, like mistaking Seokryu's Mom for Seunghyo's Mom... or Seunghyo's little smile when Seokryu returns... or Seokryu's glimpses of disappointment and then joy when Seunghyo turns up unexpectedly.

Knight Flower
What a nice fast paced little show populated with a lot of well made characters. I started it with the idea that it was mainly the Honey Lee's show (and she IS fabulous in this!), but I was surprised by how good Lee Jongwon was... and I absolutely loved his smitteness. 😊
I had fun from beginning till the end and thank you Beanies for the recommendation from earlier.
(If I should have any criticism, then perhaps that I expected Mom-In-Law to be more shaken by her husband's willingness to sacrifice their son and have some deeper scene about it (and about her disappointment in him).)

Currently watching: Bulgasal Immortal Souls - the blond kid cracks me up.
Rewatch: The Red Sleeve - I like it better the second time around.
Love Next Door - still on the fence. This weekend's episodes need to convince me to keep watching.

LIVE WATCHES:

1. ROMANCE IN THE HOUSE - The older ML (the dad) is not my cup of tea to put it mildly. I'm staying for what looks like is going to be a lovely heartfelt romance between Green-Flag Tae-Pyong and Prickly-Heroine Mi-Rae.

2. LOVE NEXT DOOR - Please oh please can the romance take the lead sooner than later because for me personally it's uncomfortable watching a hit-the-nail-on-the-head portrayal of ambitious Asian Tiger Moms, particularly the FL's mom. This is romance and we need escapism. We don't need some of us who have lived that reality having to sit through it depicted on screen just to get to the romance.

3. ARE YOU SURE? - The two youngest maknaes of BTS keep entertaining me every week. This week they are joined by the 3rd maknae. More shenanigans ensue and the meals they've been having on Jeju Island keep making me hungry.

This series is a bit of a comfort watch now given that in real life their BTS hyung (Suga/Agust D) is dealing with a frankly disgusting lies-slander-and-misinformation ridden public lynching by the Korean media for a DUI for falling off his scooter after having a few drinks. The real CCTV footage was released which showed that he was riding the scotter in a straight line at the speed of a haraboji aka he was riding so slowly and steadily in the bike lane that no pedestrian walking past him even spared him a glance.

OTHER WATCHES:

I haven't picked up where I left off with BLACK or THE CURSED etc but I somehow found myself watching RUGAL because Choi Jin-Hyuk has been making me curious about him since I watched him in MISS NIGHT AND DAY. Him and his deep sexy voice LOL! I'm on to episode 3 now and... it's not bad at (RUGAL, I mean, but also his deep sexy voice).

WATCHING
Love Next Door
I really enjoyed reading all of the reflections from beanies on the first two episodes. The first episodes were somewhat disappointing so it helped to hear different perspectives. Personally, I feel they went overboard in setting the stage for the story. The parents in particular felt really overdone, which is just crazy to me given the caliber of the actors. I do love the childhood scenes, which are so cute and well acted (!) And the Jung-Jung dynamic is as wonderful as anticipated.

Happiness eps 2/12
Giving this a try for the community watch! The first scene is really surprising and funny. Han Hyo Joo is one of my favorite actresses and she doesn't disappoint here. On the other hand, I'm already having to ff through the zombie scenes, but I did that with Tale 1938 too, so hopefully I can make it to the end. I like the grey SML character and the chemistry is already buzzy between PHS and HHJ.

Hidden Charm c-drama eps 20/40
This drama continues to charm with its slow burn storylines and nuanced acting. Although my blood pressure is going up with every episode in anticipation of the explosive confrontation that's coming between the ML and FL, lol. The director is doing a great job of building the tension but still keeping us engaged with the entire story.

FINISHED
You Are My Secret c-drama
This was an appealing modern romance with great performances. A sweet and happy watch with some seriously funny dialogue between the second leads who were actually more interesting and entertaining than the lead couple.

Who Rules the World c-drama
I loved the first half of this story, especially the unique relationship between the ML/FL. However, it lagged a bit in the second half and the ending is somewhat unsatisfying. I loved the chemistry between Yang Yang and Zhao Lu Si though (she seems to have chemistry with all of her ML's, kind of like Park Min Young). And the fight scenes were exciting, particularly the FL and her long white silk ribbon.

DROPPED/PAUSED
Romance in the House
I just wasn't loving it enough to keep watching. Maybe I'll pick it back up again later.

Good Partner 🥰 ep1-7 I always meant to start this once all the episodes are out. But then the great ratings made me want to start it asap so now I am all caught up to the latest episodes. I love this show and my favorite is the friendship between our 2 FLs. I enjoyed every episode and how much heart is put into every case especially the custody cases in this two latest episodes. Jang Nara and Nam Ji Hyun are perfect for their roles. I can't wait to find out how the main divorce case will be resolved.

Perfect Family 🌞 ep1-2 there is really more to the family than meets the eye. The parents are creepy calm after the tragedy. Kim Byung Chul and Yoon Se Ah are perfectly cast as the parents of Seon Hee. But it looks like there is more to the fire that happened in the orphanage. I do not think it was Seon Hee's fault. But we shall see.

Mission: Cross ❤️I love this movie. I enjoyed the lead couple's story and the misunderstanding then its fallout. I liked the eventual discovery of our special agent's past. Hwang Jung Min and Yeom Jung Ah are perfectly cast in their roles. I love their dynamic and how much they added little nuances to their characters. I also like seeing Jeon Hye Jin and other veteran actors. This is such a fun spy action movie and highly recommend it to anyone in the mood for one.

Love Next Door 💕ep1-2 I like the first two episodes a lot. Mainly because i like the friendship and dynamics of Seuk Ryu ang Seung Hyo. They have different interpretation of their history together which I fins funny. I am sure there is the truth somewhere in their different versions. I can relate and understand Seuk Ryu and her mom's fight so much. I mean its a normal fight between a mom and daughter. Also I want to hire Seung Hyo to redecorate a room and get everything ready in less than a day. He must have some amazing connections to pull that off.

Joy of Life S2 😊ep1-10 the story picked up where S2 left off in that quiet night on the convoy's return to the capital. He is the mastery of mischief and deception. All to fool Cheng Zhe and not fall into a trap. Fan Xian's family and backers all scramble to figure out what happened to sort out truth from fiction. Fan Xian is an easy man to root for. He just wants justice for the victim/s of the people in power. There was too little of RuoRuo, SiZhe and Waner but there would be a lot of episodes to explore their story.

Are You The One ep1-2 I started this to check out what the story is about since the posters looked cute. I am not feeling the duplicity of the ML toward his fake wife though. So this maybe a drop if I do not like the next episodes.

On Hold:
Story of Kunning Palace⭐️ ep11
Love's Rebellion ep9
Blackout I can't find this in any of my streaming sites 😭

Love Next Door: 5.0 Day 1 - Who packs a suitcase with 800,000 jackets and no underwear?
Not a terrible show, but it completely torpedoed my kdrama watching for the first half of the week. It's the show I was most looking forward to among the Aug premiers, mostly because Jung So-min was so good in Alchemy of Souls, but then it dragged and the "friends" were so unpleasant to watch that I was tempted to drop it about 2/3 thru day 2 just to avoid them. But I couldn't bring myself to start any other kdramas until I finished this one, so I'd watch a few minutes, then spend an hour or 3 on Youtube or various news sites. Took over 4 days to finish 2 hours 😱 and I didn't start playing catch-up till Thursday.

Bad Memory Eraser: 6.0 Will we have a "best hair slap" in the year-end polls? I find it a bit more watchable than it really deserves, partly because of Jin Se-yeon's ponytail.

Romance in the House: 6.5 So does he really love his ex so much, or are there gold bars under the floor?

DNA Lover: 6.5 So a bunch of firemen lift up a car to move it and the car alarm doesn't go off?

Pachinko 2: 9.0 I don't know (or much care) how closely the show follows the book, but a lot of the 1945 scenes match the bits and pieces I know of Japanese history. The whole series has been a good history lesson.

Black Out: __ Sacrificed at the altar of the Love Next Door slog. I'll try to get to it next week.

The Frog: 7.5??? (ep 1 / 2) It's a suspense show -- keeping me in suspense about whether it's a good show or a train wreck.
The contrast between Go Min-shi here vs Youth of May causes severe whiplash.